Zacharius Michel drives to the hoop for a lay-up during the Palmyra Panthers’ loss to Haddon Township, 62-40, on Dec. 29.
Nearly 200 fans dodged raindrops from the parking lot to the gymnasium on the afternoon of Dec. 29 to watch the Palmyra High School boys’ basketball team – winners of their first four games this season – battle the 3-1 Haddon Township Hawks.
The Panthers lost, 62-40.
The action was fast and furious in the first quarter, with both teams playing tenacious defense and racing down the court on every fast break opportunity. The Panthers scored first when Jesahi Robinson pulled down an offensive rebound and put it back in the net for a 2-0 lead.
Palmyra immediately put on a full-court press, but crisp passing by the Hawks beat the pressure and Alex Mohr sank a three-pointer. Da’Shon Edwards answered with a three-pointer for the Panthers.
The Hawks broke the press again to score several easy buckets, but the Panthers responded with a great lay-up by Jayden Boone and two foul shots from Julian Corry to cut the lead to 12-9. Sean Crawford nailed a long three-pointer from the corner for Haddon Township, then Corry drove hard to the basket to score a bucket for the Panthers.
The quarter ended with the Hawks leading, 15-11.
Haddon Township went on a 10-4 run to start the second quarter, including a top-of-the-key three-pointer from Eamonn Sheehan and a baseline three-pointer from Mohr. Zacharius Michel kept Palmyra in the game with a put-back bucket and a sweet little hook shot after another offensive rebound.
With three minutes left in the quarter, Edwards buried a three-pointer from the corner and scored on a lay-up, sandwiching a great pass from Corry to Robinson for a bucket, as the Panthers cut the Hawks’ lead to three, 25-22.
But, they would never get closer. Haddon Township made two more three-pointers, a fast break lay-up and a foul shot for a 34-24 lead at halftime.
The Panthers scored early in the third quarter as Michel stole the ball for a fast break layup and Robinson made a jump shot to make the score 34-28, but the Hawks answered with three more three-pointers, including two swishes from Crawford and Sheehan.
Corry scored on a put back basket, but the Panthers were stifled by the tenacious Hawks’ defense and the quarter ended with the score 49-31.
Nate Keating scored two of his game-leading 19 points on a lay-up to open the fourth quarter, and Michel answered with a mid-range jump shot for the Panthers. Keating scored again when the Hawks broke the press for a 20-point lead, 53-33.
Both teams continued to play hard, especially bench players, but Haddon Township was too much for Palmyra. Overall, the difference in the game was the long-range shooting by the Hawks, who buried nine three-pointers, while the Panthers only made three shots from beyond the arc despite numerous attempts.
Keating led the Hawks with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Crawford scored 16 points and Mohr added 11. Edwards was the leading scorer for the Panthers, with 13 points, while Michel scored nine points and Corry added eight.
Palmyra is coached by Chris Rodgers. The Panthers will face neighboring rival Cinnaminson on Jan. 14.
